svs's blog

At last!

I say, get rid of all of them. At $60 a barrel, they’re far more trouble than they’re worth anyway. I’ve long been of the opinion that car charges are far too low in this country. From taxes to parking, users generally do not pay the true cost of owning a car.
There are certain things that I hold as the hallmark of a civilised urban society and for me the most important things are parks, wide sidewalks and good public transport. It is these things that tell how egalitarian a society is. Of course, car lovers will plump for the ‘individual freedom’ argument, but lets not forget that in an open society people are free to the extent that they’re not causing harm to anyone else. When the number of cars means that school children are not free to ride their bicycles, then something needs to be done. Those who see this as a conflict would do well to read the initiatives that Enrique Penalosa got going in Bogota.
India has ridiculously few cars per person compared to the developed world, and already the lane where we played galli cricket is like a parking lot. I shudder to think what’ll happen when we go from 6 cars/1000 people to 60 or 600. End it now. Besides, I cannot understand how people can still drive with the way traffic and parking are. I suppose it is okay if four people take one car, but for one person to drive a Ford Endeavour….how does he do it? Doesn’t he go mad with frustration? I used to drive, enjoyed it for a while, but now the thought just raises bile to my throat. Get a bike!